The present invention relates to a cable support useful for the easy, safe and secure installation of such electrical and electronic cables, including fiber optic cable.
With the advent and growth of computer and communications applications in the business environment, the retrofit installation of delicate and sophisticated cabling such as twisted pair and fiber optic cables as well as retrofit electrical power cables has become more and more of an issue. Unlike conventional electrical wiring, delicate communications cable cannot be abused either in its installation or use. Bending excessively, kinking , sharp bending, contact with sharp edges, etc. all can cause harm to the cable which affects its intended performance. This problem is not quite so significant in new construction where cable trays designed to receive such cabling are installed during construction to accommodate current and future needs. In retrofit applications, however, means must be provided for the easy, safe and secure installation and maintenance of such cabling. Additionally, the problem of locating and mounting even more conventional power cables in retrofit installations continues to grow as more and more electronic devices are installed.
Accordingly, a number of hangers or supports for such cabling have been designed and marketed primarily for the retrofit market. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,994 describes a cable support which is generally J-shaped and has a saddle portion which is curved around the base of the J and flat across the base of the J. Downward extending flanges on either side of the flat base of the J are provided to ease the transition of a sagging cable suspended between two such supports as the cable is laid from one side of the support, across the flat portion of the support and off of the other side thereof. While this structure is useful, the presence of the flat base can still result in excessive bending of the cabling and the curved portion of the saddle all but forces the individual cables into contact with one another. Such a condition is generally considered undesirable because of the potential for interference between abutting cables. Additionally, use of the cable support described in this patent requires the use of a separate cable tie across the open face of the J to secure the cable after installation.
A variety of flexible such supports have also been suggested for such use. One such device is manufactured and sold by Caddy Fasteners of Solon, Ohio. This device utilizes a flexible strap having one end thereof attached to a mounting base and the opposing or free end thereof including a rigid cross member whose exposed ends engage tabs on the mounting base when the flexible strap is folded upon itself to encompass inserted wiring. In order to secure the strap tightly to the mounting base, crimping of the mounting base incorporated tabs is necessary. While such crimping provides a secure closure of the support, removal of a wire or the insertion of another wire or wires is made more complicated by the need to xe2x80x9cuncrimpxe2x80x9d the tabs to permit removal of the flexible strap.
Yet another such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,321 issued Nov. 24, 1970 that calls for a cable tie including a flexible serrately toothed strap terminating in a strap-receiving loop fitted with a strap retaining flexible pawl carrying a release member for insertion into or unitary with an adherent mounting plate. The device described in this patent requires separate deflection of a pawl for engagement and disengagement of the loop retention mechanism.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved flexible cable support structure that provides an integral cable support with rapid and easy securing of the flexible strap to its mounting without the need for crimping or other additional installation steps.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a flexible cable support that provides a secure mounting for cables or wiring that can be readily disassembled for removal of one or more wires or the insertion of additional wires without the need to xe2x80x9cuncrimpxe2x80x9d or otherwise perform additional operations that require the use of a second hand to unfasten or open the cable support.
According to the present invention, there is provided an integral or unitary flexible cable support comprising a generally V-shaped base for mounting on an appropriate structural member, a flexible strap integrally formed with the base and extending from one side of said generally V-shaped base, the flexible strap having a base end attached to the base, a distal end and an outer surface that includes a series of transverse teeth that engage a similarly shaped and angled tooth located in a slot in a flange extending from the opposite side of said generally V-shaped base such that one of the teeth on the flexible strap engage a tooth in the slot when the distal end of the flexible strap is inserted into the slot to form an enclosed area between the flexible strap and the generally V-shaped base.